2. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a ski boot with a shell and a composite shaft, with a lower part of the shell which has a longitudinal slit on the side opposite to the sole, extending from the tip of the shoe to the heel region, and with a shell cover arranged on the lower part of the shell, extending from the region of the tip to the shaft above the longitudinal slit, especially connected as a single piece with the lower part of the shell, of at least one front flap and one rear flap which form the shaft and are connected to the shell via swivelling axes and with closure devices and adjustment devices between the individual parts or flaps of the ski boot and with a damping device for the forward position arranged between the shaft and the lower part of the shell.
2. The Prior Art
The most varied embodiments for ski boots have already become known, some of which are intended for entering from the front, some from the rear, and some with a so-called central entry. These various forms of entry are intended to make it as easy as possible to get into and out of the ski boot, on the one hand, to allow the most advantageous possible transfer of forces between the foot and the ski, on the other hand.
A known ski boot--according to FR-A 2 498 431 --has a shaft consisting of a front and a rear flap, which is mounted to pivot on the lower part of the shell via swivelling axes. Between the boot tip and the initial region of the front flap facing it, a shell cover is arranged. This is surrounded by a closure device, which is arranged on brackets of the front flap, which extend in the direction of the boot tip on both sides of the shell cover. The rear flap of the shaft has a damping device for forward position assigned to it. By arranging the closure device on the brackets of the front flap which extend in the direction of the boot tip, the effect of the forward position damping device is almost completely eliminated in the region of the rear flap of the shaft, so that satisfactory damping of the forward position movement and a tight seal between the shell cover and the front flap of the shaft cannot be achieved.
Another known ski boot--according to AT-B 374 094 --consists of a lower shell part and a one-piece shaft which can be pivoted relative to it via a joint. A shell cover is arranged in the front foot and instep region, which extends into the region of the shaft. In the instep region, in other words in the transition between the front foot region of the shell and the shaft, the shell cover is provided with groove-like depressions which run perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, as an insert damping device. These result in weakening of the shell cover, with the damping characteristics being changed, depending on the shape of the grooves, with different insert positions. An exact guidance of the shell cover cannot be achieved with different forward positions with this version of the shell cover, since longitudinal deformation, in particular, cannot be prevented in the direction of the boot tip. This means that exact guidance of the foot in the ski boot cannot be achieved.
Various embodiments of such ski boots, which can be opened in a large region in order to make it easy to step into and out of them, are known from DE-OS 23 41 658, AT-PS 331 672 and DE-OS 34 29 237, among others. These known ski boots have the common characteristic that a shell cover can be pivoted relative to the sole, around an axis which runs perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sole, so that a region between the rear flap of a shaft and an instep region is opened up, to make it easier to slip into and out of the boot. In some versions, the shell cover can be pivoted forward so far that the entire foot bed is accessible from above. Although such a structure of the ski boots makes it easier to get into and out of them, the movement progression when the boot is closed, especially with regard to pivoting of the shaft relative to the shell, is not satisfactory, and seal problems occur in the transition region between the lower part of the shell and the shell cover that can be swivelled, particularly in those ski boots in which the upper part of the shell can be pivoted up over the entire length.
Another embodiment of ski boots is known, for example, from DE-AS 21 28 769, CH-PS 642 520 and DE-OS 34 29 891. In these known ski boots, the rear flap of the shaft is formed in such a way that it can be pivoted back around a greater angle than the front flap can be pivoted forward. This makes entry easier, due to the larger clear space in the heel region. In order to allow pivoting of the rear flap to such a great extent, a corresponding arrangement of the pivot points is required, which usually means that the movement of the shaft cannot be optimally adjusted to the movements of the lower leg during skiing, relative to the foot.